Time To Set Things Right
by MorningTea96
Summary: Luke Castellan killed himself to save Olympus. But he was also the cause of this whole war. Should he go to Elysium or be punished? Unhappy with story. Don't bother reading.
1. Chapter 1

This story happens in TLO, after Luke stabs himself under his arm. The rest of TLO happens, with several minor changes, if you can spot them.

Disclaimer: Don't own any of this. I don't even own the books – they're my cousin's. How saddening. All I own is a battered movie ad, cut out from the newspaper. And that's worth nothing.

All bold italics are lines from the book. 

* * *

**1. Going, going, gone**

**Luke's POV**

I could feel myself fading away. I felt like mist, the non-magical kind, only half transparent, not quite here, not quite there. My vision was blurring.

**"_Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. _**_Don't let it…_**_"_ **I stopped to catch my breath. Talking was getting harder now. **_Don't let it happen again."_**

As I said this, I felt a spark of anger towards the gods. This was their entire fault. If they hadn't…but there was no point crying over spilt nectar now. All I could do was hope I made a difference ultimately. I locked eyes with Percy.

"_**I won't. I promise**."_

I nodded, and looked at the heroes knelt around my wrecked body. Fighting for what they thought was right. I did too, in the end. But one good deed could never save me from my five years of evil. It was time to face the consequences.

I let my hand go slack, and my world turned black. 

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, the pain was gone. I was lying in the arms of somebody, supported at my shoulders and knees. The man carrying me wore a helmet with fluttering wings, and winged sandals. I recognised him immediately.

"Hermes."

My dad looked at me, his face streaked with tears. I never knew gods could cry. "We're going to the Underworld now. It's my duty to bring every dead soul across." His voice cracked, like he was going to burst into fresh tears again. "Luke, my son," he whispered. "You were a hero in the end. You'll go to Elysium, I'll make sure of that."

"So…I'm dead now?"

Hermes squeezed a tear out of his eye. "I don't know how many times you've felt like you're dead before, but this time, I'm quite certain you are. Please understand, I didn't want this to happen, but I couldn't …I couldn't interfere."

I smiled at him, years and years of hatred and bitterness for him vanishing in an instant. I finally understood why he had to be so distant, so cold. Fate could not be tampered with. Everything worked out exactly as it was supposed to. Not even a god could change that.

"It's OK, Dad. I'll take whatever punishment Hades decides to give me. I must atone for my mistakes. I'm not a hero. And…" I wanted to say _I'm sorry_, but the words got caught in my dry throat.

"Hush, my boy. No matter what the outcome is, I will support you. I will stand by you while you are being judged. You are a hero, no matter what you think, and you will never feel abandoned again, I promise you that." 

* * *

It's so short! I thought it was longer. I wrote this in Bintan when I went there for a holiday (complete waste of time, I know, but it was raining!), and meant to keep it secret till it was done. Unfortunately my nosy sister went looking. :(

Anyway, please R+R! And also, if you have a better title suggestion, please PM me or tell me in your review!

I like Luke. :D He's awesome.


	2. Chapter 2

Time for Chapter 2! Somehow I've gone from past tense to present tense...my English needs improvement.

* * *

**2. Don't judge a book by its cover**

**Luke's POV**

The Judgement Table. It looks like one of those TV-show courtrooms. I'd been expecting a more ancient look to this place. Minos, Shakespeare and some fat lady I didn't know are going to be my judges, but Hades is also present. He's going to be the one who ultimately decides my fate. So in a modern-day court, the three Judges are the prosecuting lawyers, and Hades is the judge.

My dad is standing behind me, chewing his lip. He'd changed to a blue pinstriped suit for the trial. Just about everyone else is wearing a business suit. Why am I the only one in Greek armour?

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see some demigods I recognise. They must be those who died in the war. My stomach hardens when I realise these half-bloods were dead because of me. Now they were here to watch me get my retribution. I swallowed hard. Fair enough.

Midas looks at me with poison in his eyes, a cold, cruel smile playing on his lips. Shakespeare is scribbling all over a page. He could be writing a new play, for all I know. The woman just looks bored. Hades is deep in thought. I wonder if he's got a punishment in mind for me. Hermes has a nervous look on his face. I don't know why, but I'm not actually feeling anything right now. Not fear of my fate. Not relief at the fact that Kronos is gone from my body. Nothing substantial.

"Alright, everybody," Hades announces, "Let this judgement begin!"

Minos takes over after Hades. "Luke Castellan!" he calls. "You are present before the panel of Judges and our lord Hades, to be judged for your crimes. We will now take a vote to decide whether you shall go to the Fields of Elysium or the Fields of Punishment. All in favour for –

"Wait!" Hermes interrupts. "Before you decide, know that my son sacrificed himself to save Olympus. He died a hero. He should go to Elysium."

"One honourable deed does not atone for all his wrongdoings," Minos sneers. "Have you forgotten, this war is his fault too! I vote for punishment."

"I vote for Elysium." Shakespeare puts in. "This boy is marvellous! He's just given me a new idea for a play! Here's the plot: There's a young man who's the best fighter in his land. So, he gets recruited into the king's private guard. But nobody knows that this man is actually working for a rival—

The lady judge breaks in before Shakespeare can get on a roll. "Yes, yes. You can do your silly little play later. Can we get back to the judging? I think he should be punished."

I drop my head and stare at my shoelaces. I'm starting to feel more anxious now. Shakespeare was outvoted one to two. What kind of punishment will they decide to give me? Hades hasn't spoken a word. He still has that _I'm thinking _look on his face. Hermes looks about to cry again. I want to say something, but Minos beats me to it.

"We have voted. Luke Castellan, you will be punished. Now we need a fitting punishment for you. I suggest eternal boiling in a cheese fondue."

"No!" Shakespeare says. "That's not fitting at all. How about he writes poetry for the rest of all time? It's more constructive."

"Gentlemen," Hades says smoothly - finally, the Lord of the Dead talks. "Let's not forget that Luke's crime was helping Kronos, not writing bad poetry or eating too much cheese. And also remember that he has brought a great change to this world, brought recognition to the children of the minor gods."

I'm puzzled now. Things have changed? I shoot a look at my dad, hoping he'll tell me something. He catches my eye, then whispers something to Hades. Hades rolls his eyes.

"Boy," he starts, "do you know what happened after your death?"

I shook my head no. I wish he wouldn't talk about my death as if it were some common, unimportant thing. I felt awkward!

"Well, to cut the long story short, the gods decided to give your friend Percy Jackson one wish. We offered him immortality, but he declined. He chose to make the gods recognise all their children, even the minor gods. And I think he has a plan to build more cabins at your Camp Half-Blood, so that every god has his own cabin. And the last thing: the pact of the Big Three is now scrapped." Hades' eyes flicker to one corner, and following his gaze I notice Nico di Angelo. He sees me too, and waves. I manage a half-smile.

Turning back to Hades, I'm lost in my thoughts. _Did Percy really do all that? He actually gave up immortality to bring my dreams to life? _It was rather…selfless of him. I also feel happiness, even if it was only a little bit. After five years of fighting (on the wrong side), my goal has finally been achieved. I know the gods are fickle and forgetful, but they seem willing to change after all. And yet…what does this have to do with my punishment?

The Lord of the Dead seems to read my mind. "Well, based on everything that's happened, I have a suggestion for your punishment. You can go back to your Camp Half-Blood, and help your friend Percy in the rebuilding efforts. However, you'll be part-ghost, not human. You won't be able to touch humans, but you _can _touch and lift inanimate objects. Basically, you won't be able to do many things that are unrelated to the rebuilding of camp. You won't be able to eat. You won't be able to bathe. Of course, you'll be able to talk. We're not heartless. From what we gather, you have a lot of things to say to the other demigods. When we feel that you've done enough, you get your place in Elysium. But if we find out you're making trouble, you can look forward to the rest of eternity in a cheese fondue, writing poetry."

That sounded good to me, except for the cheese fondue and poetry part. Fitting? Definitely. Punishment? Mostly. I'd get to see Annabeth again, get a chance to explain to her. Hades was certainly being kind. And the other judges had no choice to agree – they'd never go against the God of the Dead.

Minos lifts up the gavel. "I see we've come to a consensus." He sounds like he's in pain. Probably disgruntled that he won't get his way. He attempts to bang the hammer, but Hermes cries out, "Wait! I want some time with my son."

Minos, annoyed, looks at Hades. Hades lifts his eyes to the heavens (which are very, very far from the Underworld), nods impatiently and says, "Make it quick. I don't have all day, you know."

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OK, enjoyed that? Hated that? Please review! Send me constructive reviews please, flames unappreciated (who likes them? Flamers are sad dejected things who don't have their own lives).

3,

MorningTea.


	3. Chapter 3

**3. A little chat**

**Luke's POV**

My father led me to a corner of the room. For a long while he just stared at me. I chewed my lip, wondering what he was thinking. Was he angry at me? It didn't seem so.

After gods know how long, he finally spoke. "Son, do you object to your fate?"

Now it was my turn to stare. Why on Gaea would my dad ask such a question? The punishment that had been settled on sounded very good. Many dead spirits would give anything, do anything to see the surface of the Earth once more. "Of course not, Dad. Why would I?"

Hermes nods, satisfied. "Hades said you would not be able to do much unless it involves the rebuilding efforts. For now, it looks like work, work, work. And perhaps that is what Hades intended – he is never so kind. But remember, Luke, you are my son. We share a cunning intelligence. You'll find that you can do almost anything, despite the limits set on you." He smiles faintly, and I can almost see the gears working in his mind, working out how to cheat Hades' rules. I wasn't that far behind, myself.

I had something else to say. "Dad, I'm sorry. For abandoning my mother. For losing faith in you. For joining Kronos. For everything."

"Son, you don't have to apologise. It wasn't your fault at all. If only I hadn't…" But there was nothing else to say. In truth, it really was my fault. Or mostly, anyway. I made the wrong choices, over and over again.

The small distance between us had become awkward. Hermes was gazing into my face again, a look of sadness on his face. And yet, he seemed…happy? I felt slightly happy too, glad that I'd finally reconciled with my father.

Suddenly, his caduceus appeared in his hand. George the snake got caught under Hermes' grip. _You have 435 new emails and 18 missed calls_, he croaked. Hermes released his grip quickly and George wriggled out of harm's immediate way.

_Eh, George? _Martha whispered – not that it made any difference, her voice being thoughts in our heads. _I think we're interrupting something private here._

_What? Oh – sorry, sorry! We'll be back later. _

Just like that, they disappeared. And that left me and my dad, standing together, feeling weird…again.

Hermes cleared his throat. "Well, I'd better be off…" He turned to leave.

I couldn't take it any longer. I ran over, and hugged him.

**Hermes' POV**

My son, my Luke, was actually hugging me!

I hadn't felt so happy since I met his mother, May, 24 years ago. All the tension and awkwardness from just now melted straight through the floor. Clichéd, I know, but it's true. I didn't care if the whole world thought he was to be blamed for starting the war. I didn't care if all the gods wanted him dead (it's a figure of speech). I didn't care if Luke never wanted to see me again. He was my son, and always would be.

Breaking apart, I held him at arm's length, gripping his shoulders. We were both crying.

"Will I get to see you again?" He asked.

"You will," I promised, "Whether Hades allows it or not."

Hades, on hearing his name, looked over at us and roared, "Are you nearly finished? You've already pushed back my next Judgement by an hour!"

Luke looked at me. "I guess I should be going."

He gave me one last hug, dried his tears, and walked back to Minos and the other Judges. "I'm ready," he said grimly. "Do what you will."

Minos picked up his gavel. "Luke Castellan, we sentence you to your punishment of helping in the rebuilding of Olympus, until we deem you fit to take your place in the Fields of Elysium."

He brought the gavel crashing down.

* * *

If you're wondering abou the gavel, it's because I watched Class of the Titans and their Minos had one of those when sentencing his dead. (Don't understand what I'm saying? Never mind.)

OK people, please R+R! Click that little button in the middle of your screen there! -

Helpful criticism welcomed with open arms. Flames dumped in the incinerator.

Thanks for reading, regardless of whether you liked it or not!


	4. Chapter 4

**4. The dead rise again**

**Luke's POV**

I was falling, out of the sky, 100 feet in the air. Below my screaming body, I could make out Thalia's pine tree, and 12 house-like things placed in a very familiar U-shape. Camp, I thought. I was falling into camp.

As I neared the ground, I realised I was falling towards the pine, outside the boundaries of the camp. At least there wouldn't be any chance of falling and flattening a camper. But too late, I noticed another moving shape beside the tree. I remembered the dragon Chiron had hired to guard the Golden Fleece – Peleus.

_Oh great_, I thought. _This is it. The end of my punishment. Goodbye, surface world! I'm going straight back to Hades!_

Briefly I wondered if I'd get another Judgement. But before I could complete the thought, I landed on the ground.

_Thump!_

My face felt like it had been smashed inside out. My four limbs became a million broken pieces. My whole body was hurting and it didn't help that I'd landed on my butt. All I needed was some salt to add to my wounds. And I got it: Peleus the dragon was now sniffing me out.

I tried to back away slowly. I didn't look into his eyes, because it might anger him. Or maybe I didn't look into his eyes because I was too frightened. Either way, I should have tried something else, because Peleus suddenly straightened up and roared at me.

I remained still and silent. Or as silent as you can be when your heart is pumping 300 beats a minute (Did I still have a heart? I was dead). I could only gape as the dragon crouched down, eyes fixed on me. He shuffled his hind legs/paws/claws side to side, never looking away. I recognised this stance. Big cats always do this before they pounce. Peleus didn't look like a cat, but I didn't want to take any chances.

As it turned out, I had no chance at all. Peleus leapt before I could move. I couldn't bear to watch my own demise, so I shut my eyes, and turned away for good measure.

I waited for the sound of limbs tearing, the feel of the dragon's fangs in my neck. But it never came.

Tentatively, I reopened my eyes. Peleus was standing in me. No kidding. _In_ me, not _on_ me. His left paw/hand was sunk into my stomach, as if I was just a laser projection. My breath got stuck in my own throat, I was so shocked.

Then I remembered Hades' words: "_You'll be part-ghost, not human. You won't be able to touch humans, but you _can_ touch and lift inanimate objects."_

Well, at least that meant I couldn't be killed be the dragon, then. I had a chance of actually entering the camp grounds yet.

* * *

When I entered camp, I realised I was wearing my old Camp Half-Blood T-shirt and jeans. At least Hades got me out of my bloodied armour. I'd thought of running up to the pavilion and giving everyone a shock. Hey, I _am_ a son a Hermes. But I guessed that Mr D wouldn't be pleased with half of his campers fainting and the rest going crazy and shrieking their heads off during lunch. So I decided to look in the Big House first.

Chiron was inside, reading a paperback. I wanted to play a joke on him, as I hadn't had much fun in ages. The old centaur wouldn't mind. Peeping through the window, I made sure his attention was solely on the book. Then I knocked thrice on the door, put on a ghostly voice (which was not hard, considering I am a ghost), and said, "Chii-ronnnn…"

He looked up, puzzled. "Come in," he said to the door.

I snickered slightly, then crept to one of the side windows. I thumped it, and said again in the scary voice, "I've come for you. How long did you think you could hide from us?"

I had no idea why I was saying those things, or who I was supposed to be. And I could tell Chiron was getting bored. He probably thought it was just another camper. Time for something more drastic. I ran round to the back of the House, and started climbing up the ledges. I looked up at my target – the chimney. I figured, since I couldn't die again, climbing up would be a piece of cake. I chose the chimney that led to the fireplace in Chiron's room, and reached in no time.

I tried to look down, but I couldn't see anything except for soot and small bits of charcoal. If I jumped, I might get dirty. Or I might not. Hades had said I wouldn't need to bathe. So…

"Geronimo!" I yelled, and launched myself into the chimney. I could feel all the soot getting dislodged, but none seemed to stick to me. I braced myself for the landing, but it didn't hurt much anyway. This dead body was quite useful!

I clambered out of the fireplace to find Chiron sitting in his wheel chair, looking shocked. Then his shock turned to horror. "Holy Zeus, it's you! Oh gods, you're back! Oh–oh–oh… "

I grinned at his wordlessness. "Relax, Chiron. It's just me."

"Exactly! It's you! You're supposed to be dead!"

"I _am_ dead. See?" – I put my hand through his – "It's part of my punishment. Hades sent me back to help with the rebuilding. Said it's what I worked for, so I should get to help." I got him to calm down a little bit, then I told him the whole story.

When I'd finished, he was back to his old self. "I see. So I suppose you'll want to meet the campers?" He eyed me knowingly, and I knew he was thinking of Annabeth.

I nodded eagerly.

"Well, they're all at lunch now, my boy. We can go to the pavilion." Chiron stood up, and the wheelchair-box fell back to reveal his horse half. I noticed that one of his hooves was bandaged, and he limped as he walked.

We left the Big House, and as Chiron closed the door, he said, "One last thing, Luke. Whatever happened just now, in regard to the chimney, is between you and me. You and me only."

I grinned again. How often does anybody get to scare Chiron?

* * *

Luke's finally back at camp. I'm having trouble with the half-dead body. It doesn't really make sense. If he manages to sweat, then won't he need to shower? And what he can and can't do...

Wait, I shouldn't plague my readers with my problems. Sorry! Chapter 5 will come up soon, I hope. It's the holidays but I have lots of homework (not that I'm trying very hard to finish them) and projects to do. I hate school.

Again, please review! You know what I want to hear. Help me improve my story! You know, I have 40 visitors to this story so far, but only one review! (And plus that review is from my friend Chiutene, who doesn't even know the whole awesome story.) Will somebody please review?

Thanks to everyone. For what? I'm not sure.

Lol.


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